Inner permanent utility boxcar door



J. P. FOSS INNER PERMANENT UTILITY BOXCAR DOORv March 18, 1958 INVENTOR.

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Filed June 1o, 195;

MarchlS, 1958 J. RFO-ss INNER PERMANENT UTILITY BoxcAR DooR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 10, 1955 I IN VENTOR.

ATTI: RN EYB United States Patentv C) INNER PERMANENT UTILITY BOXCAR DOOR lhnlian P. Foss, Stevenson, Wash.

Application dune 10, 1955, Serial No. 514,610l

6 Claims. (Cl. 20-33) This invention relates to railway cars particularly of the type used for hauling grain and similar products in bulk, and in particular, a door that is adapted to slide in vertically disposed channels forming rails whereby the door is adapted to slide upwardly to permit products to escape or flow from the body of a car and wherein mounting elements of the door which consist of single, double, or 'sliding hinges, are fastened in the upper portion of the car to provide means for swinging the door from a lower vertically disposed position in use to an upper horizontally disposed position where the door is out of 'the way when not in use.

The purpose of this invention is to provide antimproved 'vertically sliding door for boxcars to facilitate handling grain and other products in bulk, and which permits door openings of greater width to permit the use of mechanicalloading'methods, or mechanical lift trucks.

Various types -of grain car doors have been provided for boxfcars to facilitate loading and unloading and also transportation of grain and other produbts in bulk, however, it has been found difficult to provide a grain door thatfis adapted to remain permanently in a car without occupying valuable space and without requiring a mechanicfto Vopen and close. With this thought in mind, thisinvention contemplates a door formed with a complete plywood panel reinforced with structural steel shapes and mounted in channel-shaped tracks with thek tracks hinged to the upper portion of a car in such a manner 'that the entire door, reinforcing and tracks are adapted to swingupwardly to a position nested below the roof of the car.

The 'object of Vthis invention is, therefore, to' provide mea-nsfor forming a vertically slidable grain door wherein the door is adapted yto be opened to a predetermined eleva 'tionabove the floor of a carto permit grain to flow or escape from the car and wherein the door is adapted' to swing tranY out of the way position when not Vin use. l

VAnotlgler obj'ect'of the invention is to provide an improvedpermanently installed door for boxcars and' the like in which the door is adapted to be installed in cars iow'in use. v

Another important object of they invention is to provide an` v,impro-'ved grain door for boxcars whichv facilitates complete jitneyor mechanical lift truck loading of other cargo; or merchandise such as cased products and in 'which the inner surface 'of the Vdoor is ush with the inner surface? of the wall of the car. Y i

A further object ofthe inventionris to provide animproved grain door for boXcars in which upperVI parts of door mounting elements are hingedly`r connected to the inner surface of' the car with a double jointed hinge whereby the door is adapted to swing upwardly to space the loweredge thereof above the'surface of the oor to perlmit'grain or Vthe like to escape orV iiow through the door opening." A i A still further object'of' the invention is to prvide an improved Agrain car door that isadapted'tobev pennan-4 en tly installed in a boxear, and; that. is mounted :to swing ice y upwardly toa positionv nested below the ceiling of the car in which the door is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in View, the invention embodies a frame including vertically positioned spaced oppositely disposed channels providing tracks connected with cross members, a panel slidably mounted in the channels and having a reinforcing mem-A ber on the lower edge, hinges for connecting upper ends of the channels to the surface of a side wall of a boxcar, a cable extended from the lower portion of the connecting elements over a pulley in the upper corner of the opposite side of the car and latching means for locking the chain.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view looking toward the outside of a boxcar showing the intermediate portion thereof in which a door opening is provided with parts of the side wall of the car broken away to show mounting elements of the door.

Figure 2 is a cross section through a boxcar, taken on line 2 2 of Figure 1, showing the door and mounting and reinforcing elements thereof.

Figure 3 is a section, taken on line 3 3 of Figure l, with the parts shown on an enlarged scale illustrating a hinge for connecting the upper ends of frame members of the door to the inner surface of the side wall of the car.

`Figure 4 is a sectional view through the opposite side f of the car showing the cable mounting elements in the car.

Figure 5 is a sectional plan, taken on line 5 5 of Figure l, showing the structure of the door, the opposite side of the door and other parts of the car being broken away.

Figure 6 is a similar section, taken on line 6 6 of Figure 1, also illustrating the construction of the door and also with the opposite side of the door broken away.

Figure 7 is an elevational view showing a strip having a convex outer .surface positioned on the edges of the panel for reducing the friction surfaces at the edges of the panel and increase their slidability in the channels, and also to reduce wear on the extreme ends of plywood panels, particularly when resting in a nested position.

Figure 8 is a sectional plan, taken on line 8 8 of Figure l, showing a clip for receiving and holding a chain.

lFigure 9 is a cross sectional view through the upper portion of a car similar to that shown in Figure 2 with the parts shown on an enlarged scale illustrating a moditication wherein doors are mounted with sliding hinges and `both of the doors are adapted to swing upwardly to nested positions below the roof of the car.

Figure 10 is a section, taken on line 10 1tl of Figure 9, showing the mounting at the upper corner of one of the doors shown in Figure 9.

Figure l1 is a sectional plan, taken on line 11 11 of Figure 10, showing the channel mounting on the edge of the wall at the door opening of the design shown in Figure 9.

Figure l2 is a view illustrating an arm having a slot therein in which the hinge at the upper edge of the door is positioned providing means for permitting the upper end of the door to slide inwardly of the car.

Figure 13 is a sectional view through one side of a boxcar illustrating a further modification of the hinging action yon the door in Figures l and 2.,V whereas the chan-Y nel is Vdouble hinged allowing thedoor frame to be swing ably mounted to the inner surface of the side wall of the car, therebysivnganinward and, upwardactiorr at the same time when inward pressure is thrust upon the door from the outside, the purpose of this action being to make the door more compatible with present day rnechanical methods of unloading grain by tilting the railroadV car against a stationary ram that is positioned against the door.

Figure 14 is an elevational View also `indicating the double jointed hinge arrangement shown in Figure 13.

Figure l5 is a front elevational View of the hinge of a door track or channel at one side of the door with the parts shown on an enlarged scale.

Figure 16 is a cross section, taken on line 16-16 of Figure l5, also showing the hinge.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts, the improved permanently mounted inner utility door of` this invention includes panels 9 and 1d of plywood or other suitable material having an angle bar or reinforcing member 11 extended across the lower end, vertically disposed rails Formed by channels 12 and 13 into which half round bars or wearing strips on the edges of the panels extend, an assembly `of reinforcing elements such as spaced l'iorizontally disposed T-bars 14, 15 and 16 braced with struts 17, 13 and 19 providing a door frame and a cable secured to an eye 2l at the lower edge of the supporting structure and trained over a pulley 22 in a bracket 23 in an upper inside corner of a railway car, as indicated hy the numeral 24.

The edges of the panels 9 and 10 are provided with arcuate strips 2:3" that are secured to the panels with screws 26 that are adapted to slide in the railsor channels 12 and 13.

The angle bar i1 is secured to the lower edge of the lower panel 9 with suitable fasteners, such as the carriage bolts 7, shown in Figure 6, and, also as shown in Figure 6, the door jambs or rails Z7 of the side walls 28 of the car which are formed of wood posts encased with metal shells S are provided with recesses 29 in which the channel bars l2 and 13 are positioned. The bottom surfaces oi the recesses are provided with shirns 30 `that are se cured in position with screws or other fasteners 31. The shims seal gaps below the lower ends of the channels 12 and 13 preventing grain leaking through the lower corners of the door. T he reinforcing frame, which is formed of structural steel shapes is braced with gusset plates 32 connecting the T-bar 14 with thechannels 12 and 13 and also with similar plates 33 and 34 connecting the T-bars 16 with the channels.

With the recesses 29 positioned in the door jambs of the wall or walls of a railway car, such as a boxcar, and particularly in the vertical edges and on the inside of the wall the inner surface of the door or panels 9 and 10 will be tiush with the inner surface of the Wall, making the door particularly adapted for damage-free shipment for packaged articles, breakahles, explosives, and the like. 'there are numerous uses for inner doors for boxcars and other types of railway cars wherein the width of the doors may he increased to facilitate loading and unloading with mechanical lift trucks and other similar equipment and wherein inner surfaces of the doors are Ilush with inner surfaces of walls of the cars. Besides being useful for grain and other bulk material, doors of this type are particularly adapted for small packaged articles and other cargo or products.

The upper ends of the channels 12 and 13 are secured, such as by welding, as shown at the points 35 and 36, to plates 37 and 3S of hinges having pins 39 and upper hinge plates and 41' that are secured, such as by welding as shown at the point 42, to the inner surface of the heading ortsteel door frame and with the upper ends' of the channels hingedly mounted the entire door structures at both sides of the car, including the panels 9 and 10, channels 12 and 13, and T-bars 14,15 and 16, are adapted to swing upwardly to nested positions in the top 4 of the car, as indicated by the arcuate broken lines 43, shown in Figure 2.

The brackets 23 in which the cable carrying pulleys 22 are rotatably mounted are positioned in upper opposite corners of a car, as shown in Figure 2. Flanges 44 having gusset plates 45 on ends thereof and having openings 46 in extended ends in which suspension chains 47 are positioned are secured, such as by welding, to the steel frames of the door posts at the intersection of the upper ends of the posts with the headers. The chains 47 are adapted to be inserted in split hooks 48 and 49 extended from backs of the channels 12 and 13 whereby, as illustrated in Figure 4, the safety chain 47 is snapped into the split hook 48 to support the door structures in substantially horizontal positions in the upper part of the car until the chains are secured in position.

With the parts as illustrated in Figure l, thedoor panel is in the closed position and when it is desired to permit grain to flow or escape from the car the panels 9 and 10are moved upwardly until the angle bar 11 engages the T-bar 16 and grain may flow through an opening between the lower edge of the panel or Vangle bar 11 and the tloor of the car. The panels are raised to the upwardly disposed, open, or out of use position with the cable 20 which, as illustrated in Figure 2, extends from the eye or hook 21 below the lower edge of the panel 9 and angle 11 and upwardly to the pulley 22 at the opposite side of the ear. A temporary catch 50 may be provided at the opposite side of the carto facilitate securing the door in position with the panels 9 and 10 drawn upwardly to open a slot at the lower edge of the door or with the panels' positioned in the upper part of the car.

The lower ends of the channels 12 and 13 are pro vided with blocks 51 which provide stops to prevent the panels being removed from the lower end of the channels. The walls 28 of a car may be provided with recesses 52 to provide clearance for the split hooks 48 and 49', as shown in Figure 8.

In the design illustrated in Figures 9 to 12, inclusive, doors with supporting structures, similar to the doors shown in Figures 1 and 2, are mounted in inclined slots at the top of a car, as indicated by the numeral 53, and, in the design illustrated in Figure 9, hinge pins or bolts 54 .and 55, similar to the pins 39, extend into inclined slots 56 in bars 57 extended from base plates 58 and with the hinge pins or bolts mounted in this manner upper ends of the channels `or door supporting structures are adapted to slide to upper ends of the slots S6 wherebylower edges of the doors are drawn to positions spaced from the floor of the car, the upper ends of the doors being adapted to move inwardly faster than the lower ends move `upwardly to accommodate the present lift or mechanical dump. In additionto providing mounting means for the doors and temporary holding chains for doors on opposite sides of the cars, the bars 57, like the flanges 44, serve as anti-racking devices of the doors on the opposite sides of the cars.

In this design, door panels 59 and 60, similar to the panels 9 and,10, are slidably mounted in frames including channel bars 61 and 62 and plates 63 of the hinges are secured to the upper ends of the channels. The bars 57 are braced from the base plates 58 with gusset plates 64 and the extended ends of the cars are provided with openings 65 in which chains 66, similar to the chains 47, are positioned. As illustrated in Figure l1, the channel bars 61 and 62 are adapted to nest in notches or recesses 67 in the corners of the door jambs or posts, the posts having wood cores 68 encased with steel plates 69, and the recesses 67 being indented in the inner corners of the posts whereby the depth of Ithe recesses is equal to the width of the steel channel bars of the door panels so that the inner sur faces of the channels are flush with the inner surfaces ofthe walls of thecar. The walls 70 and the sections 71 of the 'steel jackets or plates of the posts are provided with elongated slots 72 and 73 through which metal strapping material 74 is laced, as shown. The intersections of the walls 70 and sections 71 are reinforced with metal quarter round bars 75 around which the strapping material is laced.

As illustrated in 'Figure l0, the hinge pins S4 and 55, which extend through the slots 56 are positioned in hubs of the hinge plates 63 and the outer ends-of the pins are provided with heads .as shown. The inner ends of the pins are provided with openings through which fasteners such as cotter pins 76 extend and with washers 77 between the cotter pins and bars the pins are free to slide in the slots S6 without being accidentally separated from the hangers formed by the bars 57 and the base plates 58.

With the doors formed and supported in this manner, the doors in the sides of the car are adapted to swing upwardly to the position `shown in full lines in Figure 9 and the door from the opposite side is adapted to swing to a position below thel former door whereby the doors are adapted to be supported by the chains 66 in nested positions in upper parts of railwaycars.

In the design illustrated in Figures 13 4to 16, inclusive, channel bars 78, similar to the channel bars 12 and 13, are spliced at'points 79 providing upper sections 80 that are connected tothe lower sections 78 with hinges 81 and that are mounted on anV inner surface 82 of .a wall 83 of a car 84 with hinges- 85. Plates 86 of the hinges are secured to thel inner surface of the wall of the car, such as by welding, andplates 87 of the hinges are secured to the sides of the channels, such as by Welding.

By this means va d-ouble jointed hinge is provided whereby lower edges of door panels 88, similar to the panel 10, may be drawn upwardly in' spaced relation to the iloor ofthe car to permit the escape of grain or other products in bulk.

With the double jointed hinge, the door structure is also adapted to swing upwardly to nested positions in upper parts of the cars, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 9, and the doors may be supported by chains, similar to the chains 47 and 66, or by other means.

The sliding hinge illustrated in Figures 9, l and l2 and also the double jointed hinge shown in Figures 13 and 14 permit the top of the door to travel inwardly faster than the lower edge of the door moves upwardly in orderto accommodate the present lift or mechanical dump.

The improved permanently installed inner utility -or auxiliary door of this invention may, therefore, be suspended and actuated by dierent means and the door may be elevated slightly to a position spaced above the oor or partly opened, 4or suspended in a nested position below the ceiling or roof of a car where it is out of the way so that the car is adapted to be used for conventional cargo on a return trip or when it is not used for grain or other materials in bulk. y

In order to insure sealing the door against loss of grain in transit strips of canvas or some such material will be welded to the inside of the vertical channels and left overhanging at such length that it will reach the floor when the door is in a down position. Canvas will also be welded to the top plywood panel .and overlap the crack between the two panels. Canvas will also be placed between the bottom angle iron andthe plywood prior to its being bolted on, and will extend below the door approximately six inches. These four strips of canvas will be long wearing and will perfectly seal the car against leakage of grain rin the doorway without additional cooperage or labor. door should greatly reduce the abuse taken by inner surfaces of walls of box cars resulting from nailing up the doors, and removing the structures. VIn addition the necessity of removing nails from the boards, posts and beams is obviated and return shipments of the lumber is eliminated. n

Large savings will also be enjoyed by shippers as whereas doors more than seven feet wide are not practical Furthermore, the improved grain for hauling grain becausefofthe load, theimproved door of, channel bars positioned in the recesses of the rails,

hinges on upper ends of the channel bars for attaching the channel bars to a wall of a vehicle, reinforcing elements extended between and connecting the channel bars providing a door frame, Ya panelD slidably mounted in.

the channel bars and having a reinforcing element on the lower edge, said panel being adapted to extend below lower ends of the channel bars to engage the iloor of the boxcar and a cable extended from the lower edge ofthe door frame to supporting means at the upperopposite corner of the vehicle for swinging the channel bars and panel to a nested position in the upper part of the vehicle.

2. In a railway car door, thev combination which com- I prises a railway carA floor and a side wall with a door opening therein extended upwardly from the floor channel barspositionedat the, sidesV of the door opening4 in the wall of theV car, supporting elements extended between and connectingl the channel bars, panels Vproviding al door slidably mounted in the channel bars and having a stop on the lower edge, said panels being adapted to extend below lower ends of the channel bars to engage the surface of the railway car oor, hinges on the `upper ends of the channel bars for mounting the device on a Wall of the car, a pulley adapted to be positioned on the wall at the opposite side of the car, a cable secured to the supporting elements of the channel bars and extended over the pulley on the wall at the opposite side of the car for swinging the channel bars and panels upwardly to va position nested in the upper part of the car, and depending chains positioned below the ceiling of the car and adapted to engage coacting elements on the channel bars for safely retaining the channel bars and panels in the nested position in the upper part of the car.

3. In a railway car door, the combination which cornprises channel bars formed to be positioned at opposite sides of a door opening in a wall of a railway car, reinforcing elements extended between and connecting the channel bars to provide a door frame, panels slidably mounted in the channel bars, a horizontally disposed angle bar providing a stop on the lower edge of the lowermost of the panels, and means hinging upper ends of the channel bars on the inner surface of the Wall of the car in which a door opening is positioned whereby the door provides a closure for the opening, said panels being freely mounted whereby the panels are adapted to be moved upwardly to space the lower edge of the door from the oor of the car and wherein the door frame is adapted to be nested in the upper part of the car.

4. ln a railway car door, the combination which com-Y prises vertically `disposed rails with recesses in inner corners thereof positioned in edges of a railway car wall at the sides of a door opening therein, channel bars positioned in the recesses of the rails at the sides of a door opening ina Wall of the car, reinforcing elements extended between and connecting the channel bars providing a door frame, a panel slidably mounted in the channel bars and having a stop on the lower edge, said door being adapted to extend below lower ends of the channel bars to engage the surface of the floor of the railway car, bars having elongated inclined slots therein positioned in the upper part of the car, hingeshaviug elongated hinge pins therein slots of the bars mounted in the upper part of the car, a cable mounted in the upper corner of the car opposite to that on which the door frame is positioned for swinging the door upwardly and means for retaining the door in a nested position in the upper part of the car.

5. In a railway car door, the combinationwhich comprises vertically disposed rails with recesses in inner` corners thereof positioned in inner edges of a railway car wall at the sides of a door opening therein channel bars positioned in the recesses of the rails at the sides of a door opening in a wall of the car, reinforcing elements extended between and connecting the channel bars providing a door frame, panels providing the body of a door slidably mounted in the` channel bars and having a stop on `the lower edge of one of the panels said panels being adapted to extend below the lower ends of the channel `bars for engaging `the surface of a oor of a car in which the door is mounted, and hinges carried by upper ends of the channel bars and formed to be secured to the `inner surface of a wall of a car in which the door opening is positioned whereby the panels are adapted to be moved upwardly with the lower edge of one of the panels in spaced relation to the floor of the car, and the cable extended from the lower portion of the door frame to the upper corner of the opposite side of the car for swinging the door upwardly to a nested position in the upper part of the car.

6. In an auxiliary railway car door, the combination which comprises a pair of vertically disposed rails for use on the edges of the wall of a railway car at the sides of a door opening in the wall, said rails including posts encased in metal shells and having recesses in corners thereof positioned on the inside of the Wall, opposed channel bars positioned in the recesses in the inner corners of the rails, hinges for `connecting upper ends of the channel bars to the inner surface of the wall of the car, reinforcing elements extended between and connecting the channel bars providing a door frame, horizontally disposed panels extended between the channel bars and positioned with ends thereof extended into the channel bars, a pulley positioned in the upper corner of the car and on the side opposite to that on which the door is positioned, and a cable attached to the lower portion of the door frame and trained over said pulley for drawing the door to a nested position in the upper part of the car.

References Cited in the tile of` this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 706,626 Wood Aug.l2, 1902 846,913 Daugherty Mar. 12, 1907 900,491 Denton Oct. 6, 1908 965,958 Smock Aug. 2, 1910 967,757 Glandon Aug. 16, 1910 967,870 Gilleland Aug. 16, 1910 994,062 Cronemiller May 30, 1911 1,047,947 Josef Dec. 24, 1912 1,485,866 Miller Mar. 4, 1924 

